The City of Winter Park has approved the use of the former Orchard Supply Hardware building at 1111 S. Orlando Avenue [GMap] for a new luxury car dealer.
We first wrote about the proposed development HERE in November 2020, when the commission was expected to deny an application from McLaren (Website) to open a showroom there, as all previous car lot projects had been relegated to the peripheries of town, namely on the edge of Maitland, further down 17-92.
Commissioners since voted 4-1 to approve the request to change the City’s zoning code and allow for a new showroom in the empty 2.4-acre site, surprising almost anyone who was paying attention to the project. In order to squeeze the project through, the showroom will be limited to 25 vehicles at a time and they must be stored inside the building, and not outside and visible from the street.
As a result of keeping the cars stored inside the building, 22,000 SF of the property will be converted into green space.
City commission will now vote one more time on the project at an upcoming meeting in March.
